Enigma Wrapped in Mystery
by Lady Lemons
Summary: Oliver's abducted. The police are clueless. Lex is angsty and impatient. Bart is hungry? Can Chloe rally the troops and convince a reluctant Clark to don some leather to find their friend before it's too late?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of 'Smallville' but it would be ferociously cool if I did. I promise to put everything back (in more or less the same condition) when I'm done.

_Summary: 'A nighttime drive turns to abduction for Oliver. The police are clueless, and Lex is acting like Christmas came early. Can Chloe rally the troops and convince a reluctant Clark to don some leather to find out what really happened to their friend before it's too late?'_

Chapter One "1,2,3,4,5 Once I Caught An Arrow Alive"

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Driving along the deserted two-lane highway between Smallville and Metropolis, a dark van barreled along the center of the road, searching for its target.

According to plan, they followed the dark green car from Metropolis, taking a few back roads in order to bypass the target before returning to confront it head on.

Suddenly caught off guard by bright high beams, Oliver Queen swerved to avoid the oncoming van and its disorienting headlights. His convertible skidded along the road, turning a full 180 degrees before stopping just short of the fence bordering the road.

Momentarily stunned, Oliver took a second to assess his situation, thankfully the accident did not set off his airbags. Although his powerful fishtail would certainly have left some impressive skid marks.

Still regaining his bearings, a hulking figure suddenly smashed through his door window. Shaking off fragments of glass he quickly realized this was no accident. Ollie scrambled to unbuckle as the figure wrenched open his car door. Unfortunately the butt of a gun slammed into the side of his head and silenced his struggle.

The figure scooped up the unconscious blond billionaire and threw him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry back to the van. A second thug watched from behind the steering wheel of the van. As his partner unceremoniously tossed their target in the back, he deftly whipped out his cell phone, "Sir we have him."

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_'Billionaire Bachelor Believed Missing. Police Suspect Foul Play.'_

Chloe Sullivan's stomach plummeted as she snatched her morning edition of the 'Daily Planet' from the counter after the front headline caught her eye. Her requisite coffee was soon forgotten as she quickly scanned the article for more details.

'_This morning a dark green Mercedes convertible registered to resident billionaire Oliver Queen was discovered abandoned outside of Metropolis……"_

This was not good. Chloe's insides squirmed as she continued to read.

"_Signs of a struggle present from massive skid marks and smashed driver's side window…..Unfortunately the police no little of the whereabouts of its owner."_

Stunned, Chloe sat rooted to her stool as her brain reeled with the implications of the article. She had just seen him earlier yesterday evening when she dropped off her files from the last League mission_. _She thought it best to return them, since it would prove dangerous if anyone found her in possession of them later. But she had just seen him! And now he was missing?

'_At this time, police investigators do not believe alcohol played a role.'_

Shocker there! Just because Oliver hit the party scene occasionally did not mean that he was dumb enough to drive under the influence.

Diving for her phone, Chloe knew she needed help getting to the bottom of this. Her gut churned; something was seriously wrong.

Before she finished dialing, a slight breeze announced Clark's timely arrival and she closed her phone—the call now moot.

"Chloe," Clark began without preamble, pointing to the paper in front of her, "Good, you saw this morning's Daily Planet."

"Good morning to you too Clark," the blond dipped her head toward her friend in greeting, "Yeah I did. And I've got a really bad feeling about this."

Frowning Clark started to share what he discovered, "I stopped by the accident site on my way over. There are huge skid marks all over. It looks like Oliver swerved big time to avoid hitting something. Another vehicle by the looks of a second set of tracks, they stopped abruptly."

"An abductor's car," Chloe concluded. Oliver was not generally missing, but had been taken.

"Or van," Clark added darkly as he paced back a forth in thought, "You don't think this is odd at all?"

"Other than the fact our friend disappeared randomly last night. And it looks like it was intentional. What could be odd about that?" Chloe queried sarcastically. Something was obviously bothering her friend--the pacing an obvious tell--and if she was patient enough he would share.

"It's just—somebody must have followed him out of Metropolis." Clark began hesitantly before plunging into the real reason, "He was on his way out to the farm to visit me. When he didn't show, I figured something came up."

Sighing, Chloe understood what Clark was alluding to, "And you think it's your fault because you didn't do anything when he didn't show up. Somebody could have tried anytime to abduct him in the city."

"No," Clark shook his head, "In the city, Oliver's in his element—in complete control of his environment. His security is tight at work, and the clock-tower. Or he's in the public eye, much too obvious to take. Catching him unawares is too difficult and chancy. That's why they followed him out into the county, out in the middle of nowhere."

Brushing her hair off her face, Chloe stated assertively, "Okay I'm derailing the guilt train here. We'll figure this out and get Ollie back. I'll head over to the penthouse and see what I can dig up. You keep zipping around looking for leads."

Faltering slightly, Chloe added quietly, "My biggest question, though, is whether or not his abductors know who they have exactly."

"If they know Oliver's double identity, then we might only have a short window to rescue him," Clark concluded as he considered the awful ramifications of an enemy knowing the full truth to Oliver Queen.

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Anticipation grew with each floor as Lois paced inside the elevator. Was coming here such a good idea after all? Waltzing unannounced into the loft of her ex who was presumed missing? The investigative side of her clamored for answers after reading the Daily Planet article that morning, and starting at his apartment seemed like a logical plan.

Still, it was a little awkward.

Her journey ended after entering the password that admitted her into the penthouse. Trust Oliver to still have the same access code from when they were together. Oddly enough the couple months from their split did little to heal the rift in her heart after officially calling it quits upon learning his particular brand of extra-curricular activities.

She supposed her confused feelings were the catalyst for her trip here. After all, his disappearance was extraordinarily odd. How could he vanish so easily? Why would somebody abduct him?

_Well,_ Lois admitted to herself, _there was the money thing._

_And the green-leather-archer thing._

_True, he probably had enough ex-girls with grudges out there….._

But he did so much good in the world that is seemed an injustice for someone to purposely take him.

These people had to have some serious skills too, for someone with Oliver's unique skill set to NOT have found an escape route yet. Lois had witnessed enough encounters with Green Arrow (before she truly knew it was Oliver) to know he had no problem defending himself. So, what kind of people were they dealing with?

Suddenly, the ding of the elevator announced another arrival. Immediately Lois darted behind the nearby desk—after all she had little idea whether the newcomer was friend or foe. Besides, she was not actually supposed to be up here anyway.

Grabbing hold of the heaviest looking item on the desk—a metal bookend—Lois crouched down to wait.

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Impatient to get out of the tiny space, Chloe willed the elevator to move faster. She desperately needed access to Oliver's system to look for leads and orchestrate his rescue. There was only so much she could do from her desk at the Planet, since his resources easily trumped her own.

She needed to contact the guys. She needed to look for business leaks. Maybe someone found something they should not have? She needed to review security footage to see if he was being watched. There was so much she needed to do!

Here she could assume the mantle of 'watchtower' uninterrupted. Besides, Ollie had to have given her access codes for a reason!

Finally she reached the top and the grates gave way into the apartment.

However, she was immensely surprised at the sight that greeted her. Never in a million years did she expect to see her cousin leap out from behind a desk.

"Chloe!"

"Lois?" Frowning slightly at the metal object still clasped in Lois' raised hand, Chloe teased sarcastically, "Why are you here? And really, you weren't seriously going to attack me with that bookend?"

Watching as Chloe folded her arms across her chest Lois hastily placed the bookend back on the desk and walked closer to the blond, "No silly! I was just admiring the craftsmanship. I've always been a bit of a decorating buff. Have you _seen_ some of the stuff Oliver keeps in here?"

"Buff?" Chloe replied as she arched an eyebrow. Trust Lois to complicate any situation; especially one that needed her to remain as focused as possible. This was only going to become more awkward.

"Wait a minute," started Lois quizzically, "How did you get up here? I mean I dated the guy, but I hardly realized Ollie gave out the access codes to his penthouse to everyone he knew."

Ball thrown back in her proverbial court, Chloe took a moment to think. How exactly did she want to bring up her part-time involvement with the Justice League? She doubted Lois would just brush aside a weak excuse for her presence there.

Lois bit her lip as she watched her cousin pause in thought. She knew Chloe had secrets, everybody did, but maybe this was a secret they could share if it was in the best interest of getting Oliver back. "Look," Lois began sincerely, "I'm just here looking for clues about Ollie's disappearance. I just don't get why you're here too."

"Lois," Chloe opted for the simplest route, stating firmly with her mind made up, "Sometimes I help Oliver out with business."

"Business that requires house-calls?" Lois volleyed back in disbelief, "Somehow I doubt that my billionaire CEO ex-boyfriend takes business tips from a Daily Planet reporter."

Frustrated and impatient with Lois' persistence, Chloe dropped the charade, "Hey! Look, I am a fairly decent hacker okay and sometimes my skills are needed for some 'off the record' projects. The _stealthy_ and _hooded_ kind, if you get my _point_."

"The stealthy and hooded kind," Lois repeated using air-quotations to mask her surprise at what Chloe's explanation insinuated. There was no way Chloe knew about Oliver's passion for green leather and archery. "What are you talking about?"

Rolling her eyes, Chloe opened a box on the desk and grabbed a hidden remote. "Lois, sometimes you really suck at covering things up."

"Whoa, what are you doing?" Lois moved to intercept Chloe.

Pressing the button that activated Ollie's secret room in the penthouse, Chloe gestured at all the green glowing glory, "That's what I'm talking about."

"But. I. You. How?" Flabbergasted, it was one of the rare times Lois Lane was left speechless.

Unfortunately, the silence lasted only a few seconds before Lois rounded angrily on her cousin, "You KNEW! How long have you known? Wait, YOU help?"

"Guilty," Chloe replied a little sheepishly, mentally preparing to tell Lois about her Watchtower exploits—sans anything that involved Clark of course. Hopefully, the Cliff Notes version would suffice until she was not so pressed for time to find their friend.

"Tell me you don't have a leather costume _too_!" Lois exclaimed as she led Chloe over to the couches, intent on getting some answers.

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When one billionaire is missing, Clark figured visiting another might help. With their vast connections and influence, odds are better of them having information than just anybody.

But walking into Lionel Luthor's office was akin to trying to tango with Jello. Grasping hold of the situation almost always proved necessary and holding some kind of leverage against the sly business man did not hurt. However, actually out strategizing the man was near impossible

"Clark," greeted Lionel with tactful courtesy, "It's a little early for a social call isn't it? Why, it's barely ten, but I suspect you're on a mission so it matters little."

Not bothering to sit, Clark opted for the most direct opening, "Oliver Queen was abducted last night."

"That's most unfortunate. I've known him since he and Lex were at boarding school together. Actually, his parents and I worked in close capacity for a time," Lionel's mask outwardly portraying pity.

"Do you know anything about it?"

Smiling coyly, Lionel replied, "Clark, are you insinuating that I had a hand in it? To what purpose would I have?"

"I'm just trying to get information," Clark asserted, hoping to get something from the conversation without getting burned by Lionel's web of deception and tricks.

"Why? If I remember correctly, farm boys and billionaires don't usually run the same social circuit. How is it you feel so strongly about him?" Unfortunately, burning Clark with a verbal spear was ever Lionel's forte—even if he was "helping" him to a degree.

Clark remained silent, staring at the perceptive man before him.

"He knows about your little secret doesn't he?" Lionel summed up as he looked up at Clark from over the tips of his fingers.

Changing tact, Lionel mused, "It's funny, shortly after Oliver arrived in Metropolis Lex was kidnapped. Perhaps karma has come full circle."

"Or someone is picking off the heads of industry in Metropolis," Clark replied innocently, stowing away the clue the elder Luthor passed along in his comment.

"Tell you what Clark," Lionel smiled as he shuffled the papers sitting on his desk before him, "I wish you the best of luck in your search. I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for, and of course our friend Oliver."

Recognizing the dismissal, Clark turned to leave. He hoped Chloe's search was proving more fruitful than his own.

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Slowly Oliver came to, rubbing his head ruefully as he looked around. The large goose-egg on the back of his head throbbed painfully as the little men inside hammered on their anvils, but thankfully the room did not spin completely out of control as he sat up.

A concussion muddling his thoughts would do little to help him figure out a way from his current predicament.

Obviously, waking up in a stark, empty cell was not something he planned on for the day. Actually, getting kidnapped was on his agenda just above a dinner date with Lex Luthor.

Groaning he pushed himself up and took stock of his situation. The tiny eight by eight foot, cement coated cell did little to brighten his day. The solid metal door and lack of windows also hampered his attempts to deduce anything about his location. Also, his complete lack of means of defense proved equally disheartening.

Of course, he had to remember, dressed in a t-shirt, sage pullover, and jeans he was Oliver Queen—not exactly the poster boy for escaping from a concrete cell. But perhaps he could use this to his advantage?

Two gigantic reasons existed for why someone would abduct him; money and, or revenge.

Fact; he _was_ a notable billionaire. Perhaps he could buy himself out of this situation.

But, his secret identity and extra-curricular activities would prove potentially dangerous if discovered by the wrong people.

He knew his exploits would eventually catch up to him, but only someone knowing the real identity of Green Arrow would kidnap **him**.

_Right?_

Still, for all intents and purposes, Ollie decided to play the ignorance card. The utter lack of restraints indicated that his captors did not exactly view him as a threat. He could play the billionaire, CEO, playboy persona well enough to bide his time until he saw an avenue of escape.

_Pshaw_, these people did not know the problems that were headed their way. Outwardly he appeared as Oliver Queen, but inwardly his skills of the Green Arrow would prove the ace up his sleeve.

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tbc


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of 'Smallville' but it would be ferociously cool if I did. I promise to put everything back (in more or less the same condition) when I'm done.

_Author's Note: This story takes place in Season 7 after Siren—Does deviate slightly, so AU ish. Oh, many thanks to my superb Beta, _marykent, _for looking over the chapter. Without her vast knowledge of Smallville cannon and proofing expertise the chapter wouldn't be nearly the same. _

Chapter Two "Marco? Marco?"

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Catching Lois up on enough experiences as 'Watchtower' to satiate her immense curiosity took longer than Chloe anticipated. But as hard at it was to wrap up 'story time,' actually dialing into her search proved more difficult than normal with Lois hovering in the background—asking whatever questions that popped into her head.

"Okay," Lois stated for the umpteenth time as she tried to wrap her head around the idea, "Oliver's started a little club of superheroes. I can't believe this."

"You'd better believe it," Chloe mumbled as she typed, finalizing itineraries and travel options for the guys to get to Metropolis as soon as possible. She may not have access to Ollie's private jet, but she did have ample funding for their expenses due to the phony company and account Oliver set up for the team—appropriately named _Just Industries_, "Look Lois, I know you're looking for a little closure here, but I need to focus."

Taking several giant steps backward, Lois gestured reassuringly, "Okay I get it; Chloe needs her space to work. You don't need to spell it out in big flashing lights."

"Thanks Lo."

Reaching for her headset, Chloe dialed an untraceable number linked specifically to one of the League members—a precaution Oliver insisted upon for their protection.

"Victor? Hey, it's Chloe."

"_Chloe! I saw the news this morning._ _What happened?"_

"Whoa, we're not sure yet, but I'm on it. Look I've booked a flight for you that leaves in three hours. It might not be a private jet, but it'll get you here."

"'_Kay, I'm packed actually. I was getting ready to figure out something soon. Thanks for saving me the effort_." Victor would be responsible enough to leave at a moment's notice.

"Call me when you arrive. Someone will be there to pick you up from the airport!"

"_Thanks Chlo."_

Suddenly, Chloe realized Lois was inches from her face, staring at the screen, "Cyborg? So what can he do exactly?"

Startled, Chloe took a deep breath to calm her racing pulse, "Lois, sheesh! Trying to work here and what happened to personal space?"

Captivated by the information plastered across the screen, Lois apologized haphazardly, "Yeah, well I couldn't help myself. Oh my gosh! That's A.C."

"Your point?" Chloe began as she realized Lois was getting far too nosey for her own good, "Hey!"

Suddenly, the potential squabble was stalled by a breeze of fresh air.

"Mamacita! What gives? How long were you going to wait before filling me in?" Bart Allen rattled off in the hurry, oblivious to the fact that he had not seen her face-to-face in months. Or that he had just burst into the penthouse.

"Whoa, hold up the interrogation! It's great to see you too Bart," Chloe jumped up from her chair to greet the new arrival.

"So, what happened to the bossman?" Bart questioned earnestly, mouth running almost as fast his body moved, "More importantly what are we doing to get him back? I mean, he legitimately funds my burrito runs to Mexico. And gelato runs to Italy, and Swiss chocolate trips, and moo shoo pork in China….."

"Bart," Chloe sighed exasperatedly, "Do you ever think of anything besides your stomach?"

Completely blown away, Lois waved a hand to get some attention, "Hey, where'd you come from? And wow, can I get some of that take-out to go?"

Bart whipped around before completely stopping as he took in the brunette before him. Nudging to Chloe next to him, he replied cheekily, "Hey, Chloelicious, looks like you might have some competition. Scrumptious, you can have anything you want."

"Bart Allen, you are a pathological flirt. And this is my cousin, Lois," Chloe retorted as she playfully swatted at the JL member next to her.

Beaming, Bart walked up to Lois and locked arms with her, "So you're Lois. Ollie mentioned you once or twice. Here let me show you the penthouse. Bet you've never had a tour like _this_."

By the time Lois' praise-o-meter filled up from Bart's constant attention, Chloe finished contacting A.C. and started sifting through Queen Industries' surveillance tapes to see if there was evidence of anyone following Oliver.

In a flurry, reminiscent of Bart, Lois gathered up her bag and jacket, "Ack Chloe save me! I sent him on a run to get me a real Irish coffee."

Spinning around in her chair, a huge grin plastered to her face, Chloe snarked, "Ha! So you've had enough Bart for a while?"

"Yes, even I can only take so much," Lois exclaimed as she backed up toward the elevator, "Look I don't know how long I have until he gets back, so keep me posted! Let me know if you need help. It looks like you've got a good handle on things now, though. Bye!"

Chloe kept her laughter inside until she was positive Lois was safely in the elevator. Once alone she let her giggles run unchecked.

"Chloe? What's so funny?"

Jumping about a mile high, Chloe choked back a squeak, "Clark!"

Standing before her, Clark quirked an eyebrow in her direction, "If this is a bad time, I mean I thought we were working on something important."

Narrowing her eyes in the direction of her friend, Chloe retorted, "Clark Kent wipe that smug look off your face! You couldn't have given me two more minutes? I just managed to get rid of Lois. Well, actually Bart did, but that's beside the fact."

Confused, Clark tried to clarify, "Bart was here? Lois was here? Why was Lois here? What did you tell her?"

Sighing, Chloe started to explain, "Hold your horses! When I got here, Lois was snooping around. She was suspicious about why I showed up. So, I sort of told her about my part-time work with Oliver and the guys. Then Bart showed up so it would've been a lost cause anyway."

"So Bart wore on Lois a bit?" Clark tried to picture the young speedster and the somewhat obnoxious and endearing brunette spending any length of time together.

"Yeah," Chloe replied rubbing her temples, "Look he should be back any minute. Why don't you and Bart go….."

"We'll do what?" Asked the guy in question, bouncing on his toes as he appeared next to Clark, butting into the conversation.

"And look for leads while I stay here," Chloe continued her suggestion with little regard for the typical 'Bart' interruption, "I've got a list a mile long and could really use some peace and quiet before Victor and A.C. arrive."

Nodding, Clark promised, "Sure Bart and I'll look around."

"Hey man, haven't seen you in ages!" Bart exclaimed now that he could get a word in.

Smiling widely, Clark greeted, "Hey Bart. Are you up for some quick snooping?"

"Chloelicious, just because your cousin is adorable doesn't mean you are any less desirable," Bart cooed to the blond before turning to Clark and challenged, "But we'd better go. Catch me if you can Clark!"

Clark watched Bart take off, and turned quickly to Chloe, "Good luck. I'll let you know if we find anything."

Before she could blink, Chloe was completely alone in the penthouse for the first time since arriving two hours earlier. Hopefully, now she could finally spend some quality time working without having to deal with interruptions.

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Hours later, give or take a bit since he was going by his internal clock, Oliver was getting bored. He already counted the cement blocks forming his cell twice, decided that his next car would have reinforced windows, and estimated how long it would take before he could hope for a rescue from his team.

His watch, phone, and wallet were missing—no doubt strategically taken to unnerve him. While he was coping with the monotony, his curiosity was killing him. He had yet to interact with his captors at all, and he desperately wanted to know what they knew.

Suddenly, movement outside his cell drew his interest. Standing, he mentally prepared himself as the door opened into a nondescript hallway.

However, the sight of two taser-wielding thugs killed the glimmer of hope that he might have an easy escape.

"Move," the hulk on the left grunted as he gestured toward the hall, while his partner kept his taser firmly trained on Oliver.

Reluctant to risk learning how trigger happy the hired help was, Ollie let the men guide him through the complex to another room. Admittedly, these men had some training, because they never put themselves in a position that would give him the upper hand, and led him through too many halls and turns that looked the same for him to remember where they were going.

There final destination was a larger room, devoid of windows, and empty save for a metal chair positioned a few feet from a matching table.

"Funny, there aren't enough chairs for all of us," Oliver quipped—unable to keep a smart remark from bubbling to the surface.

Failing to rise to the baiting, the thugs deftly pushed Oliver down onto the chair and moved to flank him on either side—keeping their tasers trained on him once more.

He let them too, knowing that for now, he needed to find out what his captors knew about him before he tried to escape.

Looking around, he spied a solitary green arrow on a table before him. Stomach plummeting, all thoughts of his capture for ransom melted away.

"Sorry these accommodations are not quite what you are used to Mr. Queen," stated a tall suited man unapologetically as he entered the room.

Ready to verbally spar with the man, Oliver retorted deadpan, "Decoration's a little Spartan for my taste, but decent. Plus, I don't know, I'm rather fond of being run off the road, knocked out, waking up in a cell, and being tied to a chair."

Ignoring Oliver's sarcasm, the man picked up the arrow from the table and began circling his captive, like a big cat circling its prey, "See this? This is a calling card from an infamous vigilante who has proven quite the nuisance."

"Here, I just thought you liked archery and the color green," Ollie snarked, refusing to admit to anything yet, "How quaint though, to keep that thing. I am sorry for your loss. Of course, I don't know who you are or who you work for."

Suddenly the suit stopped right in front of him, cold blue eyes boring into Ollie's brown ones as he dropped all semblance of civility, "Don't play dumb Mr. Queen. Our forensics traced components of this arrow back to endeavors from your industries. You have been funding vigilante activity at the highest level."

Slowly and forcefully the suit spat, "Who. Is. Green. Arrow?"

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Later that evening, just as the stars started to glitter in the pink and orange hues of the sky, Chloe made her way over to the farmhouse. Clark thoughtfully offered to put the guys up so they could stay close together without drawing unwanted attention by crashing at Oliver's place. She hoped to catch everyone up and hopefully make some connections. Time was slipping away from them, and the sooner they formed a plan and acted on it, the better it would be.

Walking into the kitchen, Chloe was greeted with a chorus of 'hellos' from Victor, A.C., and Bart.

"Hey guys thanks for coming," Chloe began with a big smile—seeing the team there only bolstered her confidence toward finding their friend.

"No problem Chloe," Victor replied with a smile.

"Yeah, anything to get Oliver back," added A.C., "It's not like we all wouldn't do it for each other."

"Great, great, great," Bart interjected impatiently, "Don't you want to know what Clark and I found? Hmm?"

"Anybody ever thought of putting you on Ritalin before?" A.C. quipped to his notoriously energetic teammate.

"Nah, they'd never do that," commented Victor with a grin, "He'd metabolize the pills so quick that he'd look like a junkie after taking enough to get them to work."

"Boys!" Chloe admonished with her best disciplinarian voice. Why did it automatically fall to her to keep everyone from coming completely unhinged, "Can we try to up the maturity level a little? Let's go over what we know."

Bart recovered the quickest from her outburst, "Yes Madam Chloe. Clark and I snagged a copy of the police report."

"You what?" Chloe questioned, looking directly at Clark, surprised he would agree to the tactic.

"They don't know much at all," Clark continued, "And they're focusing on the potential kidnapping route because of his status."

"They think someone wants his money," Victor summed up with a frown, "But have there been any demands? It's been at least sixteen hours."

"That's the troubling part, because there haven't been any demands," Chloe sighed in frustration, "No demands, nothing. I've been combing security footage all afternoon from Queen Industries' database. However, I had to duck out of the penthouse pretty quick this evening. The police are centering their investigation at Oliver's office, but a couple officers showed up at the clock-tower."

"Great," moaned A.C., "We have to dodge the police and find whoever did this."

"Just another day in the JLA," Victor replied with a smirk, "Wait a second, so you didn't find anything on the security tapes?"

Shaking her head, Chloe answered, "Nothing out of the ordinary. These people are good."

Snapping his finger Victor exclaimed, "What about the camera's on the car? Ollie is obsessive about technology and security; he's got to have footage somewhere."

"Like, on a laptop?" Chloe asked triumphantly as she pulled a sleek MacBook from her bag, "I might've borrowed it before I left the penthouse. I noticed it sitting on a cabinet in the 'Arrow room' when I locked up before the police showed. I thought it might be helpful."

"Here, I'll start looking," offered Victor, taking the laptop off Chloe's hands, "Odds are its encrypted."

"Wait, Clark did you learn anything from your visit to Lionel this morning?" Chloe asked, remembering the errand from much earlier in the day.

Clark cleared his throat and shared what he learned from Lionel, "He didn't say much, but he specifically brought up the fact that Lex was kidnapped shortly after Oliver arrived in Metropolis."

Furrowing her brows Chloe questioned in return, "You're saying Lionel thinks Oliver abducted Lex? What and now Lex had returned the favor? Don't old schoolmates ever just pick up a phone anymore?"

Nobody said anything, but they all desperately hoped Lex was not involved.

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tbc


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: Alas, not mine, never will be. But I promise to clean up when I'm finished. Thanks again to the wonderful proofing help of marykent!!!! _

Chapter Three: "Ask Me No More Questions I'll Tell You No More Lies"

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Pouring a drink, Lex Luthor took a sip before striding over to his desk. He sighed deeply as he set the glass down and opened his laptop. He desperately hoped that he was about to learn a little more about a problem that had been plaguing him for some time.

Pulling up the live security feed, Lex watched the scene unfold before him. According to his principles, the ends completely and utterly justified the means, so he felt little remorse for the measure he took—even if it meant staging the abduction of an old schoolmate.

Not that Lex felt much attachment for his former peer—Oliver Queen and his band of friends only served to make his school years a nightmare. _Well,_ mused Lex, _who has the upper hand now?_ They did have a slightly mutual dislike for each other after all.

Yes, he was considerably pleased by the change in power control.

But watching the screen, Queen genuinely surprised Lex with his cheeky disposition towards his abduction and subsequent interrogation.

Lex knew the man owned the boardroom, charmed through any party, and always 'got the girl.' But this was not his element, so how could the man look so unaffected by his abduction? He looked so un-phased.

Yes, his quarry was strong—verbally, intellectually, and physically. But lurking beneath the surface of the billionaire were answers Lex desperately sought.

In that moment Lex decided his desire for revenge outweighed all else. Nobody, certainly not playboy Oliver Queen, could stop him from taking revenge on the Emerald Archer.

The evidence was all there. After months of hounding his scientists for answers, they finally managed to trace the 'untraceable' components of the Green Arrow's arrows back to a small division of an outsourced plant operated by a company that was operated by a company, which was owned by Queen Industries.

And by tracing the 'non-traceable' paper-trail, Lex's men managed to link Oliver Queen as the spearheading figure of the development and production of those interfering and meddlesome arrows.

Unless Queen was designing the arrows for kicks and giggles and the Emerald Archer habitually stole from him, Oliver knew the vigilante's identity and supported him.

And after all of the grief the leather clad bowman had caused him, Lex refused to squander an opportunity to neutralize the threat for good. He just needed a name, and then Queen could go back to being an industrial nuisance—devoid of a pet project.

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Twelve stressful hours, six pots of coffee, two naps, and one close shave with a computer almost self-imploding, they finally had an answer.

A harried and sleep-deprived looking Chloe and Victor summoned the rest of the team to the kitchen. Littered over the counter tops and table were various files, pictures, and data sheets. A.C. and Clark had to move two piles to the floor just to sit down.

"Good news," Chloe addressed the group, "Victor and I finally hacked into Ollie's car system from his laptop and retrieved the last video feed from its sensors."

Bart interrupted impatiently, "And?"

"That was the easy part," Chloe continued after silencing Bart with a look, "It only captured a partial image of the license plate from the van that took Ollie."

"However, after some more crafty hacking," Victor picked up the tale looking slightly less tired that Chloe, "We backtracked bogus orders and registrations to identify its real owners."

Confirming their worse fear, Chloe finished solemnly,

"It belongs to an obscure subsidiary of Luthor Corp based in a warehouse outside of Metropolis."

"Okay," Clark frowned, "Why don't we wait until this evening when it's dark to check this place out."

"Yeah, the security in this place is bound to be tight," Victor continued, "And we definitely don't want to tip them off and have them potentially move Ollie. We'd be back at square one then."

"Right then, time for a quick nap," A.C. concluded grabbing Bart, "Dude, let's go."

Getting up from the table Victor, Bart, and A.C. filed out and up the stairs to relax for a while. As worried as they were, there was little they could do in broad daylight, and it was best to conserve their energy until it was needed. Clark was about to follow when he noticed Chloe remained seated behind her laptop.

Peering down at his friend, Clark took a good look at the blond. Her hair was a mess and she was still in the same clothes from yesterday morning. The dark smudges under her eyes also told her all night endeavor with Victor as they pored over their work. He knew, she had to be running on fumes, but her stubborn streak would probably keep her going until she collapsed.

Speaking gently, Clark said, "Hey didn't you once tell me that you can't live on coffee alone? Especially when you don't sleep."

Eyes scanning back and forth across the screen, Chloe did not look up as she replied, "I know Clark. I'm just going to finish this up."

Deciding to take a more direct approach, Clark swiftly slid his hand on top of the laptop lid and shut it.

Squawking loudly Chloe exclaimed as she seemed to register the alien for the first time in the conversation, "Clark! Why did you do that? I was working. I need to keep working. I'm not prepared at all."

Taking Chloe firmly by the shoulders Clark shook his head, "Whoa, hold up. Whatever you were doing you can finish later. We can't even scope out the facility until later. I'm sure there is plenty of time until then for you to take a shower, a nap, and eat something."

"I know," Chloe replied sullenly.

Tilting his head to the side, Clark asked seriously, "Why are you so adamant about this? Something's bothering you isn't it?"

Chloe did not meet his eyes, "I'm just trying to get Oliver back."

"Back for what exactly? Or for whom?"

Quietly Chloe said, "You are reading far too much into this. He's my just as much my friend as he is yours. I just feel that since he started this group, we have a responsibility to get him out of this mess. We owe it to him."

Clark could not help but feel deep down that Chloe might not be telling her everything. She seemed unusually driven to complete the current mission. Perhaps his friend felt more than she was willing to admit. However, right now if he could get her to simply sleep then he could work on unraveling the next mystery later on.

Carefully he pulled Chloe to her feet, "Come on, I'll walk you upstairs."

"I know, I know. Shower. Sleep. Eat. _Then _work," Chloe listed tiredly. No matter what Clark thought, she was just doing this because it was the right thing to do, nothing more.

_Right?_

--------------

Laughing at the suit ended with a punch to the face from Tweedle Dumb and split lip for Oliver. Perhaps he should have taken the question more seriously.

Of course, the conversation ended shortly after and Oliver was returned to his cell to 'think' about his predicament.

Moving his jaw around gingerly, he thought back to the interrogation.

"_You think I know who Green Arrow is? One lame accusation that my enterprise might fund such a person and I am hypothetically, supposed to agree and divulge everything?" Oliver challenged the suit, "You are going to have to do better than that."_

"_Green Arrow is a terrorist and a menace that has cost us millions of dollars," the suit spat, moving closer and twirling the arrow, "He will be brought to justice, and it starts with you sharing what you know."_

_Tweedle Dumber on his right depressed the trigger on his taser slightly, causing the crackling sound of electricity to fill the room. Oliver did not glance over his shoulder toward the sound, refusing to be intimidated by the gesture, but continued to bore a hole into the eyes of the suit._

_Moments later a phone ring shattered the silence of the room. The suit withdrew a cell phone and turned to answer._

"_Yes. Yes. No. No. Yes, you did."_

_Oliver watched like a hawk as the man's posture changed ever so slightly. His shoulders dipped minutely and relaxed with a sigh. The reconciliatory tone also indicated that the person on the other end of the conversation was more than likely the boss._

_A self-satisfied grin plastered over his features, Oliver waited until the suit turned to face him after hanging up, "Boss unhappy with you? It's a pity; you're such a charismatic host."_

_Glaring at Oliver fiercely, the suit barked to the henchmen, "Take him back to his cell to think things over. We'll talk later." _

Of course he attempted to pay careful attention to the route back to his cell, but it proved fruitless. The complex was confusing and he swore the grunts lead him around the longest way possible.

Back in his cozy cell, Oliver took a moment to siphon what he learned from the encounter.

Of all the conclusions Lex could have drawn, his two plus two equaled an erroneous five. Obviously, Lex pulled the strings of this endeavor, because who else had a bigger vendetta against Green Arrow?

The sheer irony amazed Ollie because, unbeknownst to them, the one person they truly wanted sat in captivity masquerading as a hotshot billionaire.

--------------

Chloe ended up sleeping longer than she anticipated and awoke with a start. Scrambling out of the guest bed, she noticed a fresh set of clothes laid carefully over a chair. Smiling she whispered, "Thanks Clark."

She changed after cleaning up and headed down to the kitchen where the rest of the guys were chowing down in preparation for the nocturnal activities. The sun was just starting to set and night would fall shortly after.

"Morning Chloelicious," Bart called through a mouthful of food.

Smacking him on the shoulder, A.C. chided, "You're supposed to swallow first."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Haven't you heard of 'See' Food fish boy?" Bart taunted as he proudly displayed the half-chewed contents of his mouth.

Normally, Chloe was prepared to wait out their banter, but as she poured a cup of the fresh coffee, she said impatiently, "Guys, why don't we just eat in peace?"

Taking an exaggerated swallow, Bart licked his lips and exclaimed fiercely, "So we know its Lex and where the 'bossman' probably is. Let's do some recon and bust out our fearless leader!"

"Ut-oh," mused Victor as he munched on a bowl of cereal in front of his laptop, "I think I might've just discovered something bad."

"How bad are we talking?" Clark asked as he walked in the back door, "Chloe you're welcome by the way."

Chloe shot her friend a thankful smile, knowing that he must have heard her earlier. She knew he would be sweet enough to think to bring her a fresh outfit. "What did you find Victor?"

"Well, I saw what you started looking into, and it seems that you were on the right track. Somebody was hacking into Queen Industries databases and looking through shipping records and confidential project details. They all lead back to an obscure branch that is very distantly connected to a company that Oliver's company oversees."

"But what does this project do?" A.C. queried as he folded his arms across his chest. Somehow he was willing to bet things were going to become even more complicated.

Victor replied gloomily, "They develop and produce high-tech archery equipment."

"It turns out Green Arrow's untraceable arrows, aren't exactly untraceable," Clark summed up, "So somebody hacked in and found all this?"

"Yep."

Chloe shook her head, "So Lex figured out Oliver ordered the production of this and deduced that he knows the identity of Green Arrow. And knowing Ollie, he won't admit to anything."

Sighing Victor dropped the proverbial other shoe, "This means we can't exactly waltz in, all costumed up, because it'll be obvious that Ollie's in cahoots with us. It'll seem like we tried specifically to find him."

"Cahoots?" A.C. snickered to Bart conspiratorially, "_Cahoots_?"

"With no ransom and no public revelation of Green Arrow's identity, Lex must want Oliver for information. So he might not have a clue that Oliver is Green Arrow. He could just be the financial backer," Clark concluded succinctly as he frowned in thought.

"_Cahoots?"_

"Yes, Victor has a larger vocabulary that you. Deal with it!" Chloe spat at Bart and A.C. as she shot a glowering look in their direction. Adding gravely to the group, she continued, "Lex doesn't exactly have a lot to go on. All we could tell that he found were specific supply lists for the component to the arrows. So he could still very well be in the realm of speculation and is so bent on wiping the Green Arrow out that he's getting less cautious."

"But if we can't go infiltrate this place without is seemingly like Ollie works with us, how can we?" A.C. posed the question everyone was mulling over.

Not one to dwell, Bart suggested solemnly,

"So, Ninja suits then?"

--------------

Tbc

_Author's Note: Here's the inspiration for the title:_

_Miss Susie had a steam boat__  
__The steam boat had a bell *ding ding*__  
__Miss Susie went to heaven the steam boat went to__  
__Hello operator please give me number nine__  
__and if you disconnect me I'll chop off your__  
__Behind the 'fridgerator there was a piece of glass__  
__Miss Susie sat upon it and broke her little__  
__Ask me no more questions I'll tell you no more lies__  
__the boys are in the bathroom zipping up their__  
__flies are in the meadow, the bees in the park__  
__Miss Susie and her boyfriend are kissing in the__  
__D-A-R-K, D-A-R-K, dark dark dark_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 "Ring Around the Rosey"

_Author's note: Um, I compare this chapter to a roller coaster—crazy and fun. And, it may even get a little messy at times. Cheers! (Also, all mistakes are mine, no Beta this time around.)_

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The facility was located just south of Metropolis, off a long gravel road in a large, spaced out, industrial park. This way neighbors could share access roads, but maintain space between complexes. Lined with small trees on either side, it seemed as if the builders tried to counter the harsh lines of the setting—to little avail. The target itself consisted of two large gray buildings enclosed at the parameter with a high voltage fence.

Lucky for the team, the closest neighboring building was less than a quarter mile away from the fence line, and it happened to be deserted.

Perched on roof, Clark and AC kept a sharp eye out as Victor and Bart made their way towards the facility. Using a borrowed bow, with a telescopic scope, AC kept an eye on the roving security teams.

For its location in a derelict industrial park, this place maintained pretty tight security—a big red flag for the team. Typically, owners hired security to keep people out, or protect what was within.

"Okay, there is a group of two about to round the east corner of the fence. You've got about two minutes before they make it back around the building," AC called into his comm. with one eye pressed to the scope, "I have want one of these!"

"Why," challenged Victor cheekily from somewhere in the inky darkness—thankfully the moon was barely a sliver in the night, "Thinking of trading your fins for some arrows?"

"I'm just saying," AC huffed appreciatively, "Oliver's got some cool toys. Can't I like toys?"

Finishing up a quick perimeter check for weaknesses in the fence, Bart made sure he was safely hidden before chiming in, "Dude, don't answer that!"

"Well, when you've got the mentality of a little boy, toys seem right up your alley tuna-boy," Victor whispered back as he crouched down next to a small breaker box near the main entrance.

"Hey! Don't be a rusty bucket of bolts. Ouch!" AC began in protest before Clark smacked him on the shoulder, "Not fair. You could've poked my eye out.

"I'm going to poke both your eyes out if you don't cut it out! Besides, I hit your arm." Clark threatened quietly as he searched the building with his x-ray vision.

"But this big pointy thing almost went into my eye!" Exclaimed AC as he waved the bow around and pointed to the scope.

"_Since you're all having such a good time out there, I might make it a party and blind all of you," _Chloe interjected loudly from her position back at the Kent farm. They planned on reconnaissance this evening to try and confirm if this was the place, before attacking, in which case she's sneak back into Oliver's penthouse and try and redirect a satellite or two.

"_Bart you and AC do act like pubescent boys at times. Victor, you don't get off scot free either. And Clark, they're starting to rub off on you. I've seen the lot of you try and play video games. It's not pretty. Now, can we please move forward with this?"_

Properly chastised for the moment, they put their game faces back on, "Aye, aye Captain Watchtower," Bart replied cheekily.

Ignoring Bart's comment, Chloe asked seriously, "_So, now that we've established that, what do you guys see?"_

"Security is fairly tight, but not something we haven't handled before," began Victor, "We should be able to hack into the security cameras and disable them, along with the fence."

"Yeah, and the team of two guards that walks around and around and around the building seem to get pretty bored. So sneaking up on them will be cake," contributed Bart, "Especially for someone with my skills."

"_Okay, what about the inside Boy Scout?"_

Cringing, Clark rolled his eyes, "Last time you unfairly picked my code name."

"But Boy Scout has such a nice ring to it," AC quipped from his position on the roof next to Clark. A huge grin plastered all over his face.

Bart expressed in accordance with his water-loving teammate, "Yep, the fish-stick's right. Just admit it dude."

"Fine," Clark articulated in a disgruntled huff, "From what I can see, the inside is significantly more active than the outside. The place is swimming with people. Several small rooms have only one occupant. I'd guess those might be holding cells."

"Great, another Luthor created prison. Ten-bucks says he's experimenting on people here too," AC spat angrily; his passionate side against holding anyone or anything captive bubbling to the surface.

"Regardless of whether or not Ollie's here, we need to shut this place down," Victor added, remembering all too well his own ordeal.

Minds made up, Bart and Victor joined AC and Clark on the rooftop. After a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, it was decided that AC and Clark would stay and watch for the first part of the night, and Bart and Victor would return in the morning.

Staking out the place was a precaution they felt necessary. It was always best when they knew as much as possible about their target.

--------------

From a small office, the suited man dialed his employer. He was getting impatient with his present orders. He knew from experience that when allowed more leeway, he would progress much faster. The other "guests" under his supervision were like putty in his hands now. He hardly understood why his employer was prolonging the inevitable, "_What do you want to do Mr. Luthor? It's been almost three days, and we have yet to make any progress._"

Lex messaged the bridge of his nose, phone to his ear as his minion reported. Initially, he hoped to intimidate his guest and be done with him. The media would eat up the billionaire's sob story if he returned worse for wear. And Lex loathed the idea of helping Oliver Queen play the role of the martyr.

But Queen stubbornly refused to tell them anything, and Lex was growing impatient with civilities—even if his man tended to play rougher than he liked.

He knew that if Oliver did indeed fund Green Arrow, as he suspected, then the hooded archer and his merry-band of vigilantes would be hot on the trail to locate their missing employer. The window of opportunity was closing and the time for finesse was wearing thin.

All he wanted was a name. Then Oliver could go back none the wiser that Lex had a hand in his abduction.

"Mr. Harrison," Lex decidedly growled into the phone to his subordinate, "He's a playboy billionaire used to boardroom squabbles, hardly your interrogation pro. Get me a name, don't kill him, but _get me a name_. "

--------------

Hearing footsteps approach from outside the cell door, Oliver jolted back into a state of alertness. Thankfully, his internal wiring meant that he was such a light sleeper. He rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. The styling gel next to completely gone from the morning he put it in—long before he fell into his current predicament. How long had it been? A couple days, give or take.

Standing, he drew himself up to his full height as the door swung open. The customary thugs motioned for him to leave. Popping his neck to the side, Ollie complied and sauntered out of the cell. He had no intention of letting the hired help intimidate him with their bulging muscles or crackling tasers.

Lex had to be getting impatient with Ollie's evasive and smart-alecky answers, so he warily held his tongue as the goons led him through the complex. At least his head was no longer throbbing like had been during the last meeting. But that was little to rejoice at as he ran through potential scenarios for how this might play out. Hopefully, the team would find him before the situation got too messy.

Seated once again in the larger chamber, the dim light did little to indicate whether it was night or day. Warily looking around, he noticed the table was gone. However, a thick looking cane rested casually against the wall. His internal sense of self-perseveration rose a few notches. This was _not_ good.

Slightly distracted, the ominous clang of the door announced the arrival of the suit behind him and redrew his focus, "Well Mr. Queen, you've had plenty of time to think about your predicament. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner we return you to your cushy little lifestyle."

"As wonderful as that sounds, I'm just as clueless as you," Oliver shrugged—steadfastly refusing to admit to anything. He knew full well what lie in store if he admitted the true identity of GA, and dismissed the idea to put anyone else in danger by bluffing.

Much to his dismay, Oliver watched from his seated position as one of the thugs picked the short, but heavy cane and began to play with it. Spinning it round one way, and back another—as if to test its weight.

The suit replied without an inkling of remorse, "It's a shame you decided to continue this charade. I will ask one more time: who is Green Arrow? We know you ordered the production and development of his arrows."

Locking eyes with the man, Ollie glared fiercely at his captor, "So you keep telling me."

Shaking his head in mock sadness, the suit mused lightly, "I wonder why you feel compelled to protect him. But I guess you simply need more persuasion."

Ollie watched the man give a slight nod to his underling—so typical of those is power to refrain from getting messy.

Brain filling in the imminent outcome as the thug brought the can downward in a golf-like swing, Oliver braced for the blow headed directly toward his right knee.

--------------

A little after sunrise, Victor and Bart rejoined the group at the farmhouse. They installed tiny cameras from their lookout post before leaving—in order to keep an eye out during the day.

After watching the place all night, they knew the external specifications and perimeter guard rotation of the facility. The interior proved tricky, Clark's x-ray vision only so helpful with the constant personnel changes. But later, Chloe planned on positioning a satellite overhead that would provide her with heat signatures of its occupants.

Sitting down to enormous pancakes, whipped up by Victor of all people (who knew he liked to cook?), the team started finalizing their plans for the upcoming night.

"Since we discovered that this place seems to have multiple houseguests, we're going to need to split up. Victor, you're the best one to knock out the security systems, and copy their files," outlined Chloe as her Watchtower gears started turning. "AC and Clark can handle freeing those that need to be freed, while looking for Oliver. Bart, you'll flit back and forth between whoever needs you most. And the guards will be dealt with as they come."

"Okay, and after I glean everything I can from their systems," added Victor, "I'll set the charges to blow the place."

"Ka-boom!" Bart illustrated with dramatic hand gestures.

"Once we're sure everyone is clear." Clark stated, just to reassure that nobody got trigger happy. He knew these guys liked their C4—sometimes too much.

Still munching on breakfast, the remaining conundrum was whether or not to act as the "League."

Could they show up, ransack the facility, and rescue Oliver without implicating him? If Lex knew the two were connected in some way, would this only confirm his theory? And would Green Arrow's absence from his team raise suspicions during the raid? But what if they masked their hunt for Oliver as a normal raid against a potential 33.1 facility? Would Lex buy it?

Not wanting to give Lex any more ammunition against them, Chloe smiled deviously as a plan started to form in her mind, "Hey Clark, how do you feel about leather?"

--------------

Oliver should have known better. But his censoring abilities concerning his smart-remarks just were not coming easily this time around. And when provoked, his verbal retaliation was inevitable.

He should have known that taunting a large, muscled thug welding a heavy cane would only end in more pain for him. True, challenging the man's lack of intelligence provided some amusement. However, being used as a human piñata left him with a lovely new bruise collection.

Gingerly scooting up against the wall, Oliver assessed his new state—not that he could do much of anything to help himself.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on riding out the waves of pain. With his current difficulty and shallow breathing, he was willing to bet he had a couple of cracked ribs. As if breathing were not hard enough, moving—even slightly—hurt. His knee was visibly swollen through his jeans. The only saving grace came from the fact that he knew it was not dislocated. His expertise in that field, enough to know the difference was little comfort.

He knew from his inability to even support himself on the walk back to his cell, that he had a minute chance of getting out of the complex on his own power.

He really hoped that the guys were on their way. At this point, his captors seemed rather willing to use force to achieve their goals, and he did not plan on opening up any time soon.

_But he should have known better!_

--------------

Bart zoomed back to the farm in a flash after picking up the necessary supplies from Ollie's apartment undetected--much to Clark's chagrin. As much as the plan made sense, he did not exactly like it. In fact, he _really_ did not like what he was about to do.

"Do I _have_ to?" Clark complained through the door as he changed from his comfortable jeans and plaid. It was bad enough the first time he did this. He saw the team running through various preparations for their mission.

The clock was ticking and they were almost ready to depart.

Adjusting her earpiece, Chloe replied smugly as she reviewed schematics on her laptop in the family room, "Look, everyone else has a disguise, and it's not like you haven't done this before. Besides, it's crucial for keeping up the charade."

"I don't know how Oliver does this," Clark pouted as he walked out in full GA regalia, "These leather pants are going to give me a wedgie."

Striding into the family room in full costume, A.C. smirked as he passing Clark Oliver's sunglasses, "You could always go Commando."

Fuming at both Chloe and A.C., Clark protested vehemently in embarrassment, "These aren't even my pants!"

--------------

Tbc—see ya'll next week! Thanks for the support by the way :D…ala Bart "Mucho gracias!"


	5. Chapter 5 Part I

Chapter Five "Ollie Ollie Oxen Free" Part I

Author's Note: Disclaimed previously—not mine. I ran into some trouble this week with keeping to my schedule. As a result, this chapter will be broken into two parts. The rest will be posted in a couple of days. I apologize.

But I wonder what kind of trouble can I get everyone into? Let's see…….Knock 'em dead! Or not….. (I love my Beta, marykent! Oodles of thanks for your wonderful suggestions. You rock!!)

--------------

_Hiss._

_Thunk._

Where were they? The hiss of an arrow, precluding the resounding _thunk,_ before knock-out gas disposed of the guards, should have already happened. Where was it?

"Boy Scout, come on already!" Bart nagged impatiently into the comm.

Still, he noted the silent absence of the 'hiss' and 'thunk.'

Elsewhere, Victor crouched down by the gatehouse, waiting for the signal to move forward. According to the plan, Clark was supposed to knock out the guards quietly. They hoped to keep up the charade that 'all was well' until the last possible moment, because they wanted the cloak of stealth to operate under.

Fumbling with the high-tech composite bow and arrow in his hands, Clark replied testily, "This is a lot harder than it looks okay?

"Point and shoot," AC rolled his eyes at the man next to him. He could speed around, fight as well as the rest of them, shoot red beams out of his eyes, and throw things incredibly far. How hard could it be to fire an arrow?

"This is NOT a gun, it's not pre-loaded," replied Clark with ire, "Why do I have to do this again?"

"_Because 'A'_," answered Chloe's voice from inside the radio, "_Look at what you're wearing. You gotta keep up the charade at all costs_."

Clark reluctantly agreed to himself that it would be weird for Green Arrow to hand off his bow to someone else. And they didn't want to raise suspicion.

"_And 'B,' those knock-out arrows will take out the guards faster and more quietly than you guys can. We don't want to set off an alarm before even entering the facility_," Chloe finished justifying her plan for the umpteenth time. From the initial conception of the plan, convincing Clark of the wisdom of his role in this 'dress up party' had been akin to persuading a five-year-old to eat broccoli. She could not decide which task seemed harder; Clark or the five-year-old?

Trying to grasp at the hazy memories of learning archery in gym class, Clark stood up, took aim toward the open window of the guardroom, and released the arrow.

Its sweet_ Hissssssssss _accompanied the shaft's graceful flight_. _

_Thunk._

Victor yelped as the arrow embedded itself in the wall of the building inches from his head and several feet from its intended target. He quickly dove out of range of the gas.

Inside the gatehouse the two security guards heard the noise and scrambled outside with guns drawn. Fortunately, they walked right into the cloud of gas, carried by the breeze, and collapsed to the ground.

"Boy Scout," ground out Victor angrily into his radio as he approached the downed men, "I am REVOKING your archery badge!"

Rolling his eyes, Clark approached quietly with AC in tow and addressed him in person, "In my defense, this was not my idea."

"Whatever. You almost killed me!" Victor retorted, turning his back to them as he bound the two guards and padded them down—removing their access cards.

Bart appeared next to him seconds later and picked up the first guard. Since they were going to blow the place, they needed to be moved far enough away. "That'd be ironic, for all your "high tech" parts, to be taken down by such a primitive thing as an arrow. You'd look like a real-life version of those hats people wear that look like an arrow is coming out of each side of their head," Bart gestured with one free hand, "You'd be _even_ better!"

Fortunately, Victor did not have heat vision, like Clark, and could not fry Bart with the death glare he sent him. Bart cheekily saluted and said, "Well go ahead, de-activate the fence already so we can cut it," before sprinting away with the first guard. He would come back for the second afterwards.

-----------

Crouched down in the shadows of the gatehouse, Clark and AC waited for the electric hum to cease before creating an entrance through the fence.

Slinking into the tiny control room, Victor looked around for access to the security measures. Spying a terminal, he announced over the comm., "I'm going to disable the fence and any other alarm systems they have in place out here."

"Don't get shocked Cyborg," ribbed AC good-naturedly to his teammate over the comm. After all, Victor was safe in the building, and he, AC, was the one near the fence.

"_You're good to go_," added Chloe. She had already positioned a satellite over the facility and kept an eye on the red dots marking the heat-signatures of the place.

After a moment or two of radio silence, Clark and AC noticed the whine of the fence die. "I dare you to touch it," whispered AC to his companion.

Before Clark could respond with more than just a look of disgust, Victor's cheery voice came through their radios, "Feel free to slice and dice that fence."

Tentatively Clark reached out to the fence and poked it.

"Good thing he didn't screw up this time," whispered Bart as he popped up next to the pair, thus creating a trio.

"He's messed up before?" Queried Clark and he grabbed the fence with both hands and began to peel it apart with the ease of opening a banana.

"Oh yeah," corroborated AC as he peered toward the complex looking out for guards, "Once in Mexico, he only turned it down instead of off. Yeah, Ollie wasn't too happy when he tried to cut the fence."

"Yeah he got a _shocking_ surprise," snickered Bart as he watched Clark create a hole in the fence large enough for them to pass through, "He jumped about a six feet backward and wouldn't let it go for the rest of the trip. Victor kept trying to apologize. It was hysterical."

"And you still won't let it die now!" Victor added in person as he approached the group.

Clark shook his head silently as he motioned graciously for the guys enter the break in the fence. _Oh the trouble they got into!_

--------------

After passing through the fence, Clark and Bart shot off toward the complex and silently followed a guard headed for an entrance. They slipped in just as the door clicked shut. AC and Victor took a little longer to dodge and weave their way toward the building—taking care to stay concealed in the shadows.

"Wish I could move that fast," whined AC as he kept close to his companion. Surveying the service entrance they planned to enter through, he watched as one of the guards pulled out a card and swiped it across a keypad. The door chimed and granted him access.

Snorting, Victor chuckled as he reached in a pocket, "Yeah you can: swimming! What about me?"

Tilting his head in thought, AC acquiesced, "Huh, I didn't think about that."

Waving a pilfered, but valuable, ID card in the air, Victor asked, "Ready to crash this party?"

"I thought you could hack into anything?" AC taunted with a smirk, "Why take the ID card?"

"Because," Victor swiped the card, mimicking the actions of the previous guard, "Why hack when I can borrow? I am not a mindless show-off like _some_ people, thank you very much!"

Moments later the same door opened and the pair entered noiselessly into the facility.

Whispering mischievously, AC countered, "Hey, don't bring Bart into this."

Victor deliberately rolled his eyes as the swimming fiend set off in an exaggerated swagger, before heading off in the other direction.

--------------

Already on the opposite side of the complex, Bart sped around fast enough to quickly cover ground, but still search thoroughly. Typically, they split up to cover more ground faster, and with the lovely Chloe's magic satellite telling them where people were, he hoped to make short work of the task.

The sooner they finished, found Ollie, and blew the stuffing out of the facility, the sooner he could relax and get a snack or two. Not that Bart continually thought of food—he just had a healthy metabolism.

Finishing up a quick round of his section, he paused under a set of stairs. Bart reached up and activated his radio, "Impulse checking in: I checked this section Watchtower. Except for the pairs of guards roaming around, it's deserted."

"_Noted. See anything of value Impulse?"_ Chloe replied business like from her position as she orchestrated the operation.

Reviewing what he saw, Bart replied, "Nothing more than storage and offices over here. Well, and plenty of empty rooms. Not a vending machine or cafeteria in sight."

"_You're supposed to be looking for people remember?"_ Prompted Chloe sarcastically, wondering when Bart did not have food on the brain.

"Well," sighed Bart dramatically, "I have a healthy metabolism. It's not my fault. Neither is the fact that I have yet to find anything!"

"_Perhaps you should quite yapping and keep looking,"_ Suggested Chloe emphatically.

Getting the hint, Bart quipped dramatically, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Impulse—Awaaaay!"

--------------

Meanwhile, Victor padded quietly toward the control room. There he needed to plug into the mainframe and copy what he could. Peaking around a corner, he spied a guard patrolling the hall. Tip-toeing up to the man, Victor brought his arm around the man's throat and held until the guard ceased his struggling. Not terribly worse for wear, the guard would wake up sore and with a headache.

Arriving at his destination without further incident he pulled out the one of the ID cards from the guards outside. Swiping it through the card-reader, he was pleased to see the pad light up and display the message, "**Access granted**."

"Watchtower, I'm about to open the door to Security," Victor whispered, hand tightening around the door knob.

"_Okay Cyborg, there's only one person in there. Be careful,"_ Chloe replied as her eyes darted over the screen to that area.

Pushing the door open quickly, Victor hoped that the man was the computer-savvy—geek type. The less formal defense training the better chance he had of overpowering the guy without wasting too much time.

Luckily, he spied a man sitting in front of a large set of monitors, back turned to the door.

"Johnson, I thought you were supposed to be at the entrance tonight," the man called out good-naturedly.

Victor quickly deduced that the card must have identified its owner before unlocking the door. He moved forward quickly to subdue the man. The technician hardly saw the attack coming.

--------------

Sitting impatiently in the penthouse, Chloe watched as Victor's dot moved toward the other dot (the technician) in the control room. This phase was a critical part of the plan. They needed whatever information they could steal, and a way to deactivate any internal alarm systems.

"_Okay, Watchtower I'm about to enter the mainframe_," called Victor over the comm. as he addressed Chloe in particular.

Chloe released a breath she did not realize she had been holding, "Great, and don't get caught."

"_I'm more than a glorified USB port,"_ countered Victor with amusement, "_I know what I'm doing_."

"_Don't get a virus!"_ AC cautioned over the comm. from his location several floors above Victor.

"_Eww, that would be awkward to explain_," chimed in Bart as he made a face to himself. He could hardly resist an opportunity to throw out a jibe at a teammate—especially on missions, "_Or fried beyond belief_."

Trying to keep to a higher state of maturity, Chloe silently laughed at the tenacity of the boys and their ability to lighten the seriousness of the mission—even if she semi-wanted to descend to their level, "Cyborg, you're good to go."

Rolling his eyes, Victor replied with a snort, "_Thanks for the great advice guys_."

--------------

"_What's going on Boy Scout?"_ Chloe asked as she checked up on her friend.

"Not much," responded Clark as he rounded another corner, "I've already checked the first section over here. It's all labs so far. And they are empty."

"_Lex is researching something there,"_ Chloe surmised, "_But what exactly?"_

"_Meteor-infected,"_ Victor chimed in over the radio, "_The technician in here was running a diagnostic on part of the system and left a back-door for me to look around some of the files. Most of it is encrypted and will take time to unlock, but it looks like this place is a holding facility for a few people with extraordinary abilities."_

"So, we definitely need to look out for them too," confirmed Clark cautiously. As if dodging guards, maintaining this elaborate charade (in awkward leather), and looking for their friend was not enough. Now they had to look for other captives that hopefully would not burn them later once being freed.

Clark came to a dead end and found some stairs. He had yet to find anything of value. The two guards he had quietly subdued along the way had certainly been surprised to see him. Well, surprised and then angry. Clark shook his head at the reputation Oliver had garnered among Lex's men. The Green Arrow was obviously a thorn in these people's sides. Reluctantly, he admitted Chloe's idea had merit. When the guards came to, after finding a destroyed facility, they would remember who played a role in their demise and could report back to Lex.

But he did not envy the job Oliver was doing. Uncomfortable leather aside, he was simply not ready to embrace a double life just yet. Look where that landed Oliver currently. Maybe someday he'd don a costume of his own, but right now he was content to help those he could on his own time. Cleaning up the trouble he got into alone was enough for him now.

But maybe when that day came spandex would be comfier? Clark quickly decided that leather was not his first choice in 'hero' material.

--------------

"Okay Cyborg, don't forget to upload the virus into the mainframe when you're done copying the files," Chloe reminded him for the umpteenth time—tapping her pen absent-mindedly on the desk next to her. Not only would they steal any information possible from Lex, but they would leave him the nice present of a corrupted system should anything remain once they activated the charges on the building.

"_Got it Watchtower,"_ Victor replied somewhat dismissively, having done this enough to complete it in his sleep at this point.

Double checking the heat signatures, Chloe asked impatiently, "Aquaman, have you found anything yet?"

The radio burst to life as AC's voice came through her headset tersely, "_Hello, I'd let you know if I did! I'm still dodging guards and looking around. You're nagging."_

Properly chastised for the moment, Chloe double checked Bart's location and directed him, "Slow down Impulse and meet up with Boy Scout. He's in the west wing."

"_Sure thing mamacita!"_

Rolling her eyes, she brushed aside a loose strand of hair. Now was not the time to become frazzled due to her impatience. But she continued to micromanage, addressing Clark next, "Try the next corridor Boy Scout."

"_Relax Watchtower. We'll find him_," Clark reassured through the radio as he silently stalked the halls. Judging her obsessive behavior, he could tell she was anxious to find something. Beneath the light banter, he knew they all wanted success.

Sighing, Chloe thought to herself_, I know_. If anyone was fit to execute a search and rescue mission properly it was the team spread out across the facility.

--------------

After finding several corridors dedicated solely to storage, AC heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and ducked into the first room with an unlocked door. "Talk to me Watchtower."

"_Okay, it looks like there are two guard pacing the next hall on your left. There are also four solitary dots sitting in different rooms." _Chloe replied as she looked at the heat signature dots overlaid on the schematics of the facility. She took a sip of coffee and tried to wrangle in her rising feeling of hope.

AC slunk out of the room and tip-toed up to the junction between his current hallway and the one containing the guards. Peering slightly around the corner, AC chanced a glance down the hall. True to Chloe's intelligence, two guards paced back and forth. In order to check for prisoners, he needed to subdue the guards quietly.

Not that two unsuspecting thugs were any great challenge. He just needed to take them out before one of them raised an alarm.

Waiting until the closest one completed his circuit and turned around, AC launched himself down the hall. He smashed his fists into the back of the first guard's head, effectively bringing the thug to the ground. By this time, the second guard attempted to plow into AC.

Spinning out of the way, AC planted a low kick to the thug's stomach—knocking the wind out of the man. Another swift sweep of his leg, wiping the legs right out from under the guard, and AC straightened to his full height. Surveying the two incapacitated thugs sprawled out on the floor, he reached up to his comm. and informed, "Aquaman to Watchtower. Hallway is clear—time to see what the sharks were guarding."

"_Good luck."_

AC walked up to the first door on his left and tried the handle, fully expecting it to be locked.

It was.

Frowning thoughtfully, he gave it a fierce shove, taking to door right off its hinges. Suddenly, the lights flickered in the hall and a shrill beeping started.

Shoulders slumping, AC moaned, "Oh Crap."

--------------

Tbc

(Beware, Part II to come Thursday or Friday!)


	6. Chapter 5 Part II

Chapter Five "Ollie Ollie Oxen Free" Part II

_Author's note: Not mine..yaddi yaddi ya. Here's the continuation! I apologize for the delay. Thanks marykent for the quick look-over!_

--------------

The alarm blared loudly through the combined radio feeds of the boys, all of the way back to Chloe in the command center.

"_What did you do?"_ Chloe asked as she jolted upright in her seat. Her computer tied into the facility's systems, via Victor, began bleeping aloud to her. The 'cloak and dagger' operation had just evolved to the next level; damage control.

Bart affirmed cheekily into the radio over the din of the clanging alarm, "_It wasn't me! Ha! Looks like somebody's streak is over!"_

"_Yep," _Victor chimed in over the comm. as he multi-tasked, trying to turn off the blasted alarm, "_The Fish-stick's "no cover-blowing/alarm activating" streak is up. If we can call it a streak, because the only reason you were leading, Aquaman, was because you pushed Arrow into that sensor beam six missions again."_

"I did not intentionally push him, he got caught in the way,"AC defended hotly as he glanced around the empty hallway—just because he stumbled and Ollie broke his fall, did not mean it was his fault. The fact that the guys kept a record of who had the longest streak in between setting off alarms while on missions was just another sign of their attempts to lighten the dark and dangerous mood of their work.

From her perch in the penthouse, Chloe spat fiercely over the radio, "_Aquaman!"_

Crying petulantly, AC replied into his radio, "What did I do? Um, I opened a door. Okay, I forced a door open. One which you told me to check!"

"_Yeah, but I didn't tell you to ring the doorbell and announce to everyone in the facility, 'I'm Here' Did I?"_ Chloe countered sarcastically, as she watched about eight red dots start to converge on AC's location. The only advantage meant that they would have a chance to take out the remaining guards. "_The whole point of this was to keep things quiet! Now most of the guards in that place are headed your way. Cyborg, can you make this infernal alarm go away?_"

"Oh lucky me!" AC crowed to himself, but realization struck, "Wait a minute. Cyborg weren't you supposed to disarm the alarms already?"

"_I was working on it! What was behind this 'important' door anyway?"_ Victor defended himself weakly before tossing the ball back in AC's proverbial court. He was busy in the security command center trying to keep a message from being sent anywhere out of the facility—to the authorities or even Lex. Because right now, they did not need Lex calling back-up goons to rain on their search parade.

Taking a good look around the tiny room, AC stopped in puzzlement, "Watchtower, I thought you said someone was in here. The cell is empty."

"_That's weird,_" Chloe replied in puzzlement as she looked at the monitor again, "_I'm positive there was a heat sig in there when you opened the door. It's completely empty?"_

"_Aww, did a little fish escape the big fishy? _Bart teased over the radio as finished up zip-tying another incapacitated guard. One more for him to run out to the "safe-zone" that was becoming a temporary home to the unconscious forms of the facility's guards. They did plan to blow the place after all.

"This big fishy is going to kick your scrawny little butt!" AC spat back into the radio to the speedster, "I'm telling you, the cell is completely empty!"

Arriving swiftly, Clark stopped just short of AC, "There are about seven more guards headed this way. I took out a few in my path. These taser arrows work just as well if I toss them like darts."

"Imagine that," AC replied deadpan as he heard the heavy stomping of combat boots approaching, "Don't tell you-know-who. It might ruffle his feathers a bit later."

Clark just shook his head as a couple men in security uniforms rounded the corner. Sometimes he wondered how the team accomplished anything. But, he rationalized that beneath the jokes and the banter these men cared for each other. With that knowledge, he steadied himself for the approaching men. When it came down to the wire, these guys were all business.

Catching sight of the two costume clad men, rage flared on the faces of the guards before they charged at the intruders.

--------------

Disposing of the guards did not take long for the pair. The combined skills of AC and Clarks were no match for the thugs, and shortly after they were rendered unconscious. Just as they were securing the men's wrists, Chloe chirped in their ear, "Okay, I've managed to break through the encryption of some of the personnel files Cyborg sent. I think I know why the cell you opened is empty now Aquaman. One of the people being held at the facility has the power to turn invisible."

"Oh, that would explain a lot," AC replied into his comm. as he shook his head in amazement.

"Yeah," Chloe chuckled in reply, "It would also explain a mysterious heat signature that exited the facility not too long ago."

Looking at the three other locked doors in the hall, Clark asked in all seriousness, "So they just snuck out? What about the others that were being held here?"

AC and Clark walked over to the first door as they waited for Chloe to reply. She quickly scanned the filed on the screen in front of her, "They are all meteor-freaks. One can move things with his mind—telekinesis, another has—okay this is weird—um acid spit."

_Acid spit?_ AC mouthed to Clark as he prepared to open the door. Keying his radio, he stated, "So hopefully when I open this door the person inside doesn't decide to hock an acid-tainted loogie at me."

--------------

It turned out that the one with acid spit was the child of the telekinetic dad in the next cell over. After reuniting the pair, the dad hoisted the child up on his shoulders and thanked them.

AC handed the dad a business card emblazoned with the league's number in case of a future emergency, "Just in case you need help in the future."

The nondescript looking card only contained an untraceable number that lead to a caller-id box the league checked regularly. If someone needed their help, then this is where they could ask for it.

Impatient to finally leave, the dad replied, "Good to have. We should be fine though, right buddy?" He smiled up at the kid, "Lex won't sneak up on us where we are going."

"Great," AC replied with a smile, "I'll just go with you two and make sure you get out of the facility okay—after all it's gonna go boom in a short while."

Clark watched the child smile at AC's description. It made his chest tighten at the thought of one so small being held in captivity. Moments like this made Clark stop and evaluate what the League did, and how he could help. Was it time to increase his involvement? He did have so much power to affect good. Was he ready to take the plunge and turn hero full time?

Pausing his internal debate for the moment, Clark turned to his teammate, they still needed to finish the mission, and said quietly, "I'll keep looking while you go."

Giving him a huge 'thumbs up', AC gestured for the pair to follow him, as Clark took off down the opposite corridor. Just before he was out of range, he heard AC ask playfully, "So little-man, you really have acid spit?"

Pause.

"OUCH!"

--------------

With the idea of secrecy firmly obsolete, Victor finished downloading everything he could from the facility's computers quickly. There was little need to work around the security at this point.

Sweeping the room one final time to make sure he did not miss anything, Victor keyed his radio, "Watchtower, I gleaned everything I could from the computers. Time to plant the charges?"

"_Cyborg, you're good to go. Impulse already did a quick sweep, and most all of the guards are taken care of or fled. Aquaman is helping guide some of the freed people get out okay. Boy Scout is checking up on the last couple stationary heat signatures."_

Nodding to himself, since nobody was around, Victor quipped lightly, "Alright, time to get ready for some boom-chicka-boom."

--------------

A heavy thud outside his cell door brought Oliver back to full alertness. "What in the name of?"

It sounded oddly like a body falling to the ground. Could help finally have arrived?

He was moderately taken aback at the sight of the door popping easily from its hinges. Seconds later a familiar figure crossed the threshold, a reassuring doppelganger out of retirement.

Looking up from his sitting position against the wall, Ollie tiredly chuckled at the character before him, wincing slightly at the movement, "Boy Scout, about time."

Seeing his friend's discomfort, Clark swiftly knelt down next to him, "Can you walk?"

"You bet your green-leather-clad ass I can get out of here!" Oliver scoffed tiredly, as he slowly pushed himself to a standing position, "Chop-chop. Let's go!"

Shaking his head incredulously at Ollie's persistence, Clark tapped his radio and announced, "_Found him_."

But, they weren't out of the woods yet!

--------------

tbc—_by the way, thanks for all the reviews!_


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six—'I Said a Boom-Chick-Boom!'

_Author's Note: So, about the whole 'disclaimer' thing. If you haven't figured out by now that this is a work of fiction, about a set of fictional characters that aren't my own creation, then you have no understanding of "fan-fiction" whatsoever. Oh, marykent rocks for the title creation! _

--------------

One arm looped around Oliver's shoulder, Clark slowly, but steadily helped his friend through the deserted hallways of the complex. By this point, all of the guards had been taken care of by the team and the facility cleared out. At least they were considerate before blowing up the place.

Frustrated with Oliver's futile attempts to hide his pronounced limp and labored breathing, Clark asked casually, "Would it be easier if I just carried you?"

Scowling deeply, Ollie stopped dead in the hallway. He looked up at Clark, hidden beneath _his_ glasses and _his_ hood and rebuked sharply, "You may be able to pick me up with ease, but it doesn't mean I want you to."

"Fine then," Clark replied a little indignantly; rolling his eyes behind the shades. After all the trouble they went through to get to this point, the lack of gratitude was somewhat off-putting. Not that Clark expected a heartfelt 'thank-you,' but he did not exactly appreciate Oliver's irritableness.

Sighing, Clark attributed the attitude to the fact that his friend had been held captive for the past couple days, and obviously beat up. Realizing they would get out of the facility faster with help, Clark activated his radio and asked, "Impulse where are you?"

Suddenly appearing beside the pair, Bart waved brightly, "Right here dude."

Bart almost did a double-take as he looked over his boss. Oliver did not exactly look well. From the pained way he stood to the faint sheen of sweat lining his brow—Ollie was obviously in a large amount of discomfort.

However, a glimmer of the typical smart-aleck attitude surfaced as Oliver asked, "Who conned you into playing dress-up Boy Scout? I thought you vowed never to do that last time"

"Watchtower MADE him!" Bart grinned widely in Clark's direction, relishing the chance to pick on Clark's pronounced dislike for leather that had become more apparent as the night wore on.

"It was part of the plan," Clark defended with ire, "It's that whole idea of keeping up the charade."

"Hey," interjected Bart in mock seriousness, "I did suggest Ninja suits. Nobody liked that idea much."

"I wonder why," Oliver muttered with a tired roll of his eyes.

Noting his boss' flagging energy, Bart took Oliver's other arm enthusiastically, and chirped excitedly, "Oh well. Let's blow this popsicle stand!"

--------------

Pacing around the rendezvous site, AC and Victor waited for their friends to arrive—_all_ of them.

Chloe's voice shattered their thoughts and she shared excitedly, _"Impulse just met up with Boy Scout to help. They'll be out shortly. Chill_!"

Just as she finished, AC spotted a dark blob headed their way. He excitedly swatted Victor on the arm, "Hey they're coming."

Smacking AC back, Victor countered as he mimicked his friend, "Hey, you can stop hitting me! I see them too."

Moments later, Clark and Bart arrived supporting a noticeably worse for wear Oliver in between them.

"I'm not an invalid," Oliver wheezed as he adjusted his footing to take on more of his own weight. Rare moments like these only reminded him of his role as the 'normal' guy out of the group. And since he did not have comparable powers to the rest, he only resolved to try that much harder to downplay his present injuries.

Shaking his head at Oliver's typical resoluteness, the guy _would_ try and downplay his pain. AC chuckled softly, "Tch, someone's a wee bit cranky."

"Am I going to be crankier if I ask about your apparent 'wardrobe malfunction'?" Oliver countered as he looked at the gaping hole in the back of AC's shirt.

AC's scowled as he muttered, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Of course you don't want to talk about it," Clark muttered under his breath, knowing full well that the hole came from the acid spit-ball one of the rescued kids shot at AC earlier. That hardly counted as a moment of triumph for the water-aficionado.

"It wasn't _my fault!" _ AC defended hotly as he verbally danced around the subject.

Pretty confused and more than a little bit tired, Oliver grouched to the group, "Forget it. I'm sure you'll spill later. Can we just blow up that building already so leave already?" He knew the routine, and at this point his fatigue tempered his gratitude for the rescue. However, he could tell by their Cheshire grins that they were just happy to see him and would take his irritated comments in stride.

"Bossman's impatient too," Victor smiled knowingly as he depressed the trigger, "Fire in the hole!"

--------------

As the complex went up in a spectacular display of pyrotechnics, the team took a moment to watch their handiwork. In a fit of overzealousness, they might have planted a few more charges than necessary.

Unfortunately, Chloe's voice over the radio served to remind them of reality, "_You're just standing still. Why aren't you moving away from the complex?"_

"We're on our way," Victor replied unconvincingly into the radio as he watched the pretty oranges and reds swirl amidst the present course of destruction working the complex.

"_I'm staring at the stationary heat sigs right now—you pyros!"_

Collectively sighing, the group stayed long enough to visually confirm that the facility was ruined (and stare at the pretty explosion). AC and Victor left for the penthouse on their own, while Bart and Clark decided that the sooner they got Oliver back, the better.

A short _whoooosh_ later, and Oliver stood panting in his living room.

"We are _never_ doing that again!" Oliver complained as his body adjusted from the speedy trip back to his penthouse courtesy of Bart and Clark.

"I'll go keep an eye on Chloe," Bart announced without preamble as he handed a note to Clark, and shot out of the room.

_Clark,_

_Victor gave me the rundown on how bad Oliver looked. Went to get ice--you'd think there would be plenty in the freezer of a noted billionaire. Somehow I doubt we'll be able to convince him to actually make a trip to the hospital. Don't let Oliver do anything stupid! Be back after you arrive most likely,_

_-Chloe_

Ignoring Clark as he paused to read the post-it note, Oliver started to hobble off in the direction of his bathroom. He wanted nothing more than a shower at this point.

Seeing the movement in his peripheral vision, Clark swiftly cut into Oliver's path and asked seriously—disregarding the conclusion Chloe came to earlier—and asked, "Do you need to go to the hospital instead?"

"No, I need a shower," Ollie replied testily, desperate for clean clothes and hoping that Clark would just let him pass without a fight—verbal at this point.

"While that is painfully obvious," Clark persisted with the corners of his mouth upturned in slight amusement, "So is your pronounced limp and shallow breathing."

"Fine Clark, you can invite my doctor over," Oliver complied as he painfully side-stepped the alien. Looking over Clark from head to toe, he shook his head at the man still clad in the leather albeit with the hood pulled down and sunglasses off. Ollie barked sarcastically, "And put my stuff away properly!"

--------------

Thirty minutes later, Oliver exited the bathroom under careful scrutiny from five pairs of eyes. Oliver matched the rest of the guys, each dressed in street clothes at this point, as he hobbled out in comfy sweats and a t-shirt.

As self-elected spokesperson of the group, Chloe uncrossed her arms and pointed to the couch as she ordered, "Sit and do not move until the Doctor arrives."

Oliver raised an eyebrow at this apparent 'intervention-esq' display of power. He opened his mouth to protest, but A.C. interrupted, "Dude, don't bother."

Victor chuckled from his seat on one of the barstools, "We learned the hard way. Don't mess with Chloe. And she's not happy right now."

To save as much face as possible, Oliver made it to the couch, unassisted, on sheer willpower alone. Seated comfortably on the couch, leg propped up; Oliver began contritely, "Thanks, but this is hardly necessary--"

Waving her finger, Chloe stated firmly from her perch on the arm of the couch, appearing very maternal-like as she looked down at him with a scowl, "Don't go there. Don't play Mr. Tough Guy. We just spent half a week figuring out how to rescue your leathery hide from Lex's latest Inquisition. You are not doing anything stupid now. And you're getting your knee and ribs examined."

Frowning, Oliver accepted a large ice pack from Bart and mouthed to Clark, "_Traitor!"_

"Oh, don't blame him. Your entire team ratted you out," persisted Chloe with a huff, "Besides it doesn't take someone with a medical degree to see that you can barely walk without grimacing and are unable to take a deep breath."

Even from his lower and slightly undignified position on the couch, Oliver's resulting glare managed to get each guy to look guilty with the exception of Chloe. She folded her arms across her chest and matched him look for look.

Defeated, Ollie realized that this was going to be a long night.

--------------

Dr. Marks had arrived promptly enough, and quickly deduced that the swelling and tenderness of Oliver's knee was due to a PCL injury—common from a blow to the knee, and often called "dashboard knee" from victims of car accidents. The group filed that away for an explanation for the upcoming fallout from this little escapade.

The good doctor applauded the ice treatment they started and also recommended elevation in addition to the splint he provided.

"As for the bruised ribs," he continued, "Rest, ice, and wrap them. It'll take 3 or 4 weeks, likely, but you'll be back to your busy self in no time."

The group visually cringed at this pronouncement. Keeping Oliver housebound and still for any length of time was going to be easier said than done.

The patient himself even tried to look contrite, cognizant of the coup he needed to stage in order to get his way. Because right now, Chloe obviously held the upper hand in terms of persuading the rest of the team to listen to her and not him.

Dr. Marks left not long after, leaving pain medication should Oliver need it. Victor and AC "helped" Oliver to his room, by this point with less protest as they were all tired. Then the guys promptly sprawled out on the couches—fading fast into a state of slumber.

Clark, ready to leave, looked around for Chloe who sat quietly with a cup of coffee in a chair with her laptop propped up in front of her.

"Chloe, I'm headed back to Smallville. Are you going to go home yet?"

Looking up at her friend with tired eyes, Chloe stifled a yawn, "Nah, I'm going to finish up a couple things here and head over to the Planet. I have to be there in a couple of hours anyway. I've shirked quite a bit this week. No point driving back to Smallville now."

"Right," Clark affirmed quietly, "Don't work too hard, and you really should take a nap or something soon."

"I know Clark. Thanks," Chloe answered with a half-smile, "I can't live on coffee alone."

"Or Red Bull," muttered Clark as he turned to walk out the door.

"I heard that!" Chloe called in as loud a whisper as she dared—not wanting to wake the sleeping guys in the room, "Thank you for everything."

Clark nodded as he whispered back with a small grin, "So can we upgrade my name from 'Boy Scout' yet?"

"Sure," Chloe smirked at her big alien friend, "How about 'Cub Scout'? Or there's always 'Eagle Scout?' Or…"

Shaking his head Clark waved her off as he whispered, "Forget it!"

--------------

Just as the sun broke through the early morning sky, Lex arrived at the site of the destroyed facility. Harrison, in his customarily dull suit, greeted Lex as he exited his expensive vehicle. Forestalling all pleasantries and civil greetings Lex barked, "What happened?"

"Last night the complex was infiltrated, knocked out and bound the guards before leaving them in a field nearby. Also, all of the prisoners were released before they blew the place," Harrison stated tactfully in reply, knowing full well of the eruption of his employer's temper that was likely to take place.

Lex mentally cringed as the realization hit him that Oliver Queen was now free to interfere with things again. And they failed to get any confirmation about employing the Green Arrow out of him. Speaking of which, "Do we know anything about who did this?"

Harrison was astute enough to see his employer's eyes flash and knew where the line of questioning led, "Some of the guards swear that they saw the Green Arrow and his band of vigilantes."

Of course it was. But was the Emerald Archer rescuing his 'boss' or was this simply another target to try and cripple his operation? Lex shook his head, he needed to find the silver lining, "Did anything survive the explosion?"

"The hard-drives we recovered were wiped clean. All of our evidence and research is gone," Harrison replied ruefully. This was a major set-back for them—especially now that the original copies of the evidence they gathered linking QI to the Green Arrow was gone.

Getting back into the car and slamming the door, Lex ordered testily, "Recovery what you can and start looking again. This is not the end; but merely a bump on the road."

--------------

Lois paced inside the elevator as a strange sense of déjà vu descended over her. Just a few days earlier she had been in the same position, waiting for the elevator to reach the top floor. Only this time, instead of worry, anger motivated her to pace. Why did boys have to be so stupid?

The familiar 'ding' refocused her thoughts as she waited for the grate to completely open. Stepping out of the small space into the openness of the living room, Lois looked around. Just before she opened her mouth to call out, she spotted three lumpy figures asleep in the living room. Ruefully, she checked her watch: 7:30 am. Okay, perhaps coming so early in the morning had not been her brightest plan. But after receiving Chloe's text about Oliver's safe return, she just wanted to confirm for herself that he was alright—and ream him out for being stupid enough to get caught in the first place.

After all, they had only broken up a little while ago. Why couldn't she still be a little emotionally attached? Their relationship had been more serious than she had had in a long time. Besides, now that she knew all about his little night-time activities she could not blame him as much for flaking out on her when they were together.

Stopping to listen for a second, Lois thought she heard voices from within the penthouse. Curious, she started down the hallway towards their source.

"Hey, ow! That hurts."

"_You are being a baby again," _chided a lighter female voice in response.

"You're pulling too tight," hissed the deeper, masculine voice.

"_Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Tough Guy. I was under the impression that Ace Bandages were supposed to be snug."_

Lois stopped, borderline flabbergasted, in the doorway of Oliver's bedroom. Momentarily frozen, Lois stared at the sight of Chloe helping a shirtless Oliver wrap an ace bandage around his ribs. Definitely not what she anticipated finding when she set out that morning.

"Well, this isn't awkward at all," Lois snarked as she arched an eyebrow at the pair from the doorway causing the two blonds to whip their heads in her direction.

"Lois! What are you doing here?" Chloe exclaimed as she hastily got up from her previous perch on the bed, absentmindedly fidgeting with her shirt in the process to appear more dignified, "Never mind. I'm just going to leave now because I have work. You," she turned specifically to Oliver and admonished him as sternly as her semi-embarrassment would allow, "Don't get up. Don't do anything the Doctor said you weren't supposed to do! Remember, the guys are on my side for this one.—Bye Lois."

Oliver watched as Chloe left, acutely aware of the fact that she had just abandoned him to the wrath of her taller and typically less tactful cousin. "Hey Lois," he greeted feigning tiredness.

"Oh don't pull that whole 'I'm too weak to have this conversation' voice!" Lois quipped as she called his bluff. She had heard enough before to realize that his greeting was only an act.

"Okay," Oliver mused more cheerily and less apathetically, "Good morning Lois."

"Better," replied Lois with a nod before rounding on him, "But you're still not off the hook. How could you be so stupid? I thought to whole masquerading as a superhero thing at night meant you were good at avoiding traps and stuff."

"I got ran off the road Lois. That's got to have happened to you before with _your_ driving skills. It kind of leaves a person disoriented long enough to get pistol whipped and completely knocked out."

"Whatever. And my driving skills are perfectly adequate," Lois countered undauntedly, "I don't know what you are insinuating. What did these guys want anyway? Can't imagine them taking your for your good looks."

"Ouch, that's pretty low Lois," Oliver winced with a slightly dejected look.

Rolling her eyes Lois said unapologetically, "I'm sure your massive ego is just hurting terribly."

"Fine," Oliver sighed as he shifted slightly, pausing to catch his breath after the movement, "Apparently Lex dug up some sort of a paper-trail to link me to the Green Arrow. I guess he thought I knew who the guy behind the hood was."

Lois, in all her present anger, chuckled at that, "So he thought you were the pretty-boy financer? Bet it never crossed his mind that he had the real thing the whole time."

"Yep. Ironic no?"

"Well," Lois softened a bit, "At least you have a cracker jack team that was able to pull out a rescue."

Puzzled by exactly _how_ much Lois seemed to know, Oliver mused noncommittally, "My team?"

"Oh please," Lois smirked as she walked closer and gently sat on the corner of the bed, "Chloe told me all about your merry band of superheroes: Cyborg, Impulse, and Aquaman and her occasional job as 'Watchtower.' I thought it was a little weird when I found her in your apartment orchestrating everything the morning after the accident. But you'd better not let her get hurt in all this mess! I will hunt you down, regardless of your arsenal of pointy objects."

Noting the seriousness of Lois' request, Oliver promised accordingly, "I wouldn't dream of letting her get hurt."

He also breathed an internal sigh of relief, Lois did not know anything about Clark's involvement—otherwise she definitely would have mentioned it. As for Chloe, he was going to have to do something to make it up to her for helping out so much—even if she did divulge the team to Lois. But if Lois showed up in the middle of things unexpectedly, there would have been little Chloe could have done to satiate her cousin's curiosity. Lois was as vicious as a bulldog when trying to get information. _Chloe orchestrated the whole operation, forced Clark into the leathers he refused to ever wear again, and insisted on a doctor, all for him? Whoa._

"Good!" Lois exclaimed triumphantly breaking the momentary silence. Chloe was one of the most helpful and reliable people she knew. If she needed to help out, Lois could accept the behind the scenes assistance Chloe could offer. And now, if anything happened to her cousin she would make good on her threat. Something was still bothering her though, "Wait, you were dumb enough to leave a paper-trail for Lex Luthor to find?"

_Here we go again._ Oliver exhaled dejectedly and gently banged his head against the headboard behind him.

--------------

---TBC---

_Author's note 2: All of my information about injuries I borrowed from the internet as it relates to sports medicine. I am totally NOT a doctor. I don't do the whole 'blood thing' well._


End file.
